1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a developer container usable in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a process cartridge, and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
Here, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms an image on a recording medium by the use of the electophotographic image forming process. The examples of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus include, for example, an electrophotographic copier, an electrophotographic printer (such as a laser beam printer or an LED printer), a facsimile apparatus, and a word processor.
The aforementioned process cartridge may refer to charging means, developing means or cleaning means and an electrophotographic photosensitive member integrally made into a cartridge, which is made detachably mounted to the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. Alternatively, the process cartridge may refer to at least one of charging means, developing means, and cleaning means and an electrophotographic photosensitive member integrally made into a cartridge, which is made detachably mountable to the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. Further alternatively, the process cartridge may refer to at least developing means and an electrophotographic photosensitive member integrally made into a cartridge, which is made detachably mountable to the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus using the electrophotographic image forming process, there has heretofore been adopted a process cartridge system in which an electrophotographic photosensitive member and process means for acting on the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally made into a cartridge which is made detachably mountable to the main body of the image forming apparatus. According to the process cartridge system, the maintenance of the apparatus can be done by a user himself without resort to a serviceman and therefore, the operability of the apparatus be markedly improved. So, this process cartridge system is widely used in electrophotographic image forming apparatuses.
As shown in FIG. 12 of the accompanying drawings, a process cartridge 45 according to the prior art comprises a developing frame 43 supporting a developing member such as a developing roller 48 and a toner container 46 ultrasonically welded together to form a developing unit. A photosensitive drum 44, a charging roller 41 and a cleaning frame 47 constituting a removed toner container are connected together by a shaft 49. A compression coil spring 42 is provided between the cleaning frame 47 and the developing frame 43 to thereby bias the photosensitive drum 44 and the developing roller 48 toward each other.
There has been a trend toward increasing the capacity of the toner container of a process cartridge used by an electrophotographic image forming apparatus and toward increasing the size of the removed toner container to lengthen the service life of the process cartridge until interchanged.
However, when the capacity of the toner container is increased, the weight of a toner increases with a result that when the quantity of the developer is increased by the use of the prior art device, the load applied to the developing roller and the photosensitive drum increases. Also, as the developer is consumed the load is changed.
In order to solve this problem, a flexible sheet member is stuck on between the toner container and a developing container. A method of hermetically sealing the space between the two containers to thereby reduce the weight of a toner containing frame being applied to the developing container is under consideration.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a developer container, a process cartridge, and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus in which the strength of an opening portion can be enhanced.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a developer container, a process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus in which the deformation of an opening portion can be prevented.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a developer container in which a developing frame is not welded and a developer supply opening portion is sealed by a toner seal member and the deformation of the stuck surface of the toner seal member does not occur, and a process cartridge having the developer container, and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, to which the process cartridge is detachably mountable.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a developer container containing a developer therein and having an opening portion sealed by a toner seal member adapted to be unsealed during use to supply a developer to developing means, and provided with a bridge-shaped portion extending from the back side of the surface of the opening portion side for supplying the developer and connected to the other end surface opposed to the surface substantially parallel thereto.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a process cartridge detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus, the process cartridge comprising an electrophotographic photosensitive member, developing means for visualizing an electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive member, a developing frame supporting the developing means and having an opening portion for receiving a developer therein, a developer container displaceable relative to the developing frame and containing the developer therein and having an opening portion for supplying the developer to the developing means, and provided with a bridge-shaped portion extending from the back side of the surface of the opening portion side for supplying the developer and connected to the other end surface opposed to the surface substantially parallel thereto, and a toner seal member for unsealably sealing the opening portion.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, to which a process cartridge is detachably mountable for forming an image on a recording medium, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising:
a) mounting means for detachably mounting a process cartridge comprising an electrophotographic photosensitive member, developing means for visualizing an electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive member by a portion for receiving the developer therein, a developer container displaceable relative to the developing frame and containing the developer therein and having an opening portion for supplying the developer to the developing means, and provided with a bridge-shaped portion extending from the back side of the surface of the opening portion side for supplying the developer and connected to the other end surface opposed to the surface substantially parallel thereto, and a toner seal member for unsealably sealing the opening portion; and
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.